Yahoo Blocks Ad-blocking Users

November 23, 2015—Last week, some people who tried to access their Yahoo Mail account got a pop-up message asking them to disable their ad-blocker first so they can continue using Yahoo Mail. A Yahoo spokesperson told Engadget this was not a new policy but rather an A/B test carried out to a small group of Yahoo Mail users in the US. An A/B test is a technique where websites gauge reaction by deploying the changes to a small number of users first before full release.

The test could be a sign of Yahoo joining a growing number of ad-dependent websites who are blocking users with ad-blockers. To date, big names like The Washington Post, Hulu, NFL team sites, The Guardian, and The Atlantic have taken to blocking users who have ad-blockers running.